Valance-supporting bracket



May 4, 1965 H. A. LARSEN VALANCE-SUPPORTING BRACKET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. HENRY '4. LARSE/V Filed Jan. 28, 1964 7 y 1965 H. A. LARSEN 3,181,829

VALANCE-SUPPORTING BRACKET Filed Jan. 28, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. HEMQY A. LARSEN ATTQR/Vm.

United States Patent 3,181,829 VALANCE-SUPPORTING BRACKET Henry A. Larsen, 232 McKnight Circle, Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed Jan. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 340,676 4 Claims. (Cl. 248-264) This invention relates to brackets for supporting a valance in front of a roller window shade.

In order to hide from view the rolled-up portion of a window shade and also to improve or decorate a window, special valances are sold in the stores. Such a valance is generally simply a fiat strip of sheet metal with a rear- Wardly bent upper edge or lip for supporting it. The front of the valance may be painted or covered with a decorative paper or fabric. Heretofore, the general practice has been to support such a valance inside a window frame by means of the shallow boxes by which the ends of venetian blind headers ordinarily are supported. The ends of the valance lip are simply hooked over the upper front edges of the boxes. There are several objections to such supports for a valance. They are relatively expensive, they are bulky and unsightly, and they require the window shade bracket or support to be fastened to them. This shortens the distance between the shade supports just enough to prevent the shade roller that previously was used with the window from fitting in the supports. Therefore, the shade roller has to be shortened or a new shade purchased.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide brackets for supporting a window shade valance which are simple and inexpensive in construction, which do not detract from the appearance of the Window, which can be used either inside or outside the window frame, which permit the existing window shade to be used without alteration, which do not require separate fasteners to hold them in place, and which can be quickly and easily installed. 1

In accordance with this invention, such a bracket is formed from a vertical sheet metal plate provided with at least one vertical right angle bend forming a rear portion and a front portion. If the bracket is to be used inside the frame the plate has only one bend. If it is to be used outside the frame it is provided with two bends. The rear portion of the plate is adapted to be inserted edgewise between the customary window shade support and the window frame. It is clamped in that position by the usual pair of vertically spaced nails or screws that hold the shade support in place. The front portion of the plate projects toward the opposite side of the window frame and has an upper edge adapted to support one edge of the lip that extends along the top of the valance.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a front view of a window shade roller con cealed by a valance partly broken away to show one of the brackets in full lines; o

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 11-11 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on the line IIIIII of FIG. 2; a

FIG. 4is a view somewhat similar to FIG. 2, but showing the bracket being inserted between the screws that hold the shade support;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 and 4, but showing a modification;

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are views corresponding, respectively, to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3--of a'further embodiment of this invention; and

FIG. 9 is a vertical section taken on the line lXIX of FIG. 7.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings, a window shade roller 1 is shown supported at its opposite ends withbetween the two screws19 that fasten a roller shade bracket (not shown) to a window frame 20, but it -als o 3,181,829 Patented May 4, 1965 in a window frame 2 by means of conventional supports 3.

Each support is fastened to the adjoining side of the window frame by a pair of vertically spaced fasteners,

such as nails or screws 4. When such supports are mounted according to' instructions, they are spaced a short distancebelow the top of the window frame. A valance 6 is siipported in front of the roller, concealing it from view. This valance is formed from a strip of sheet metal, the upper edge of which is bent rearwardly and down to form an inclined lip 7 as shown in FIG. 2. The opposite ends of this lip are hooked over the tops of a pair of brackets.

It is a feature of this invention that each valance bracket is formed from a vertical sheet metal plate 10 that is provided with a vertical right angle bend (FIG. 3) to make it L-shape in horizontal section. The base of the L is much narrower than the rest of the plate and forms the front portion 11 of the bracket. The rest of the plate lies fiat against the inner surface of the window frame and has a rear portion 12 that is clamped between the shade support 3 and the frame. In order to mount the bracket in place, the shade support screws are loosened so that the support can be pulled away from the window frame a distance greater than the thickness of the bracket plate. The plate then is slid rearwardly along the inner surface of the frame to insert it edgewise into the space between the shade support and the frame, whereupon the screws may be tightened to clamp the bracket in place. To positively lock the valance bracket in place and also to allow for vertical adjustment of it, the rear portion of the plate has an upper section 14 that is inserted between the screws and that is provided with a vertical slot 15 open at its top for receiving the upper screw. The height of this section preferably is such that, as shown in FIG. 4, the front of the bracket must be tilted up in order to be able to fully insert the rear section between the screws. The tilting allows the upper rear corner of the plate to be pushed between the screws until the upper end of the slot is in line with the upper screw. The bracket then can be raised slightly to permit the bottom of the section to he slid across the top of the lower screw. The bracket then will rest on the lower screw and be prevented by the upper screw in the upper partof the slot from swinging forward away from the screws. After the bracket at the opposite side of the window has been mounted in the same way, the valance lip can be hooked over the upper edges of the front portions of the two brackets and then first one bracket and then the other raised to move the valance up against the top of the window frame as showninFIG. 2. By tightening the screws, the brackets are held in their upper positions and the shade supports again are mounted firmly in place.

The two valance brackets are inconspicuous and easily mounted in place without the use of extra fastening members. The existing shade supports and their screws form the sole means for holding the brackets The thin sheet metal from which they are made does not move the shade supports enough closer together to require shortening of the existing shade roller or replacement by a shorter roller. The slots in the brackets permit the valance to be raised to the desired height even though the shade supports may be attached to the window frame at a lower level than they. should be. 7 V

In the modification shown in FIG. 5 the bracket plate 17 not only has a rear upper section 18 that is inserted has a lower section 21 that projects beneath the lower screw. This bracket may be made so that it may be pushed straight back between the screws without having to be tilted. The rear portion of the plate has a horizontal slot 22 extending inwardly from its rear'edge" to 'frame.

receive the lower screw, and the lower section is provided with a slot 23 extending downwardly from the inner end of the horizontal slot. The upper section has a downwardly extending vertical slot 24 in line with the lower vertical slot, so that after the rear portion of the bracket has been inserted between the shade support and the window frame the bracket can be raised or adjusted vertically like the one first described. Of course, the bracket is clamped securely in place by means of screws 19. The front portion 25 of the bracket, which projects toward the opposite side of the window frame, supports the lip of a valance 26.

The brackets described thus far are for supporting a valance inside a window frame. When, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the window shade brackets are mounted on the front or outside of the frame at its upper corners, the valance likewise must be mounted on the front of the The outside shade supports 30 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are conventional and well known and are attached to the window frame 31 by vertically spaced nails or screws 32. They support a window shade roller shaft 33. Each valance bracket 34 that is used with such supports is provided with two vertical bends, so that it has parallel narrow front and rear portions 35 and 36 connected by a much wider intermediate portion 37 that conceals the outside of the shade support. Since there is nothing above the bracket to interfere with the way its rear portion 36 is inserted between the shade support and the window frame, the upper portion of the bracket can be simply hooked over the upper screw 32. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 9, the rear portion of the bracket plate is provided with a horizontal slot 40 extending inwardly from its rear edge to receive the upper screw when the rear portion is inserted between the shade support and the frame. From the inner end of this slot a short slot 41 extends upwardly so that the upper rear corner portion of the bracket forms a hook over the screw. The rear portion also has a section 42 that extends betwen the two screws. When the two screws are tightened, the bracket is clamped in place. One end of the lip 43 along the top of a valance 44 is hooked over the upper edge of the fr ont portion 35 of the bracket. There is no need to adjust this bracket vertically. If desired, the outer face of the intermediate portion 37 of the bracket may be painted or covered to match the front face of the valance.

In all of the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein it is unnecessary to furnish fasteners with the valance brackets, because the existing roller shade supports are used for holding the brackets in place. All that has to be done is to loosen the screws enough to permit the bracket to be inserted behind the shade supports, adjust the brackets to the proper height where necessary and tighten the screws again.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described What I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. An assembly comprising a window shade roller bracket, a side of a window frame, a pair of vertically spaced fasteners attaching said bracket to said side of the frame, and a valance-supporting bracket in the form of a sheet metal plate provided with at least one vertical rightangle bend forming a rear portion and a front portion, saidrear portion projecting between said fasteners betweenthe shade bracket and window frame and clamped against the frame by the shade bracket, said front portion projecting toward an opposite side of the window frame and having an upper edge adapted to support one end of the lip extending along the top of a sheet metal valance, and said rear portion of the plate being shaped 80 t a t s n e table ed-gewise between the shade bracket and window frame when said fasteners were loose.

2. An assembly comprising a window shade roller bracket, a side of a window frame, a pair of vertically spaced fasteners attaching said bracket to said side of the frame, and a valance-supporting bracket in the form of a sheet metal plate provided with at least one vertical rightangle bend forming a rear portion and a front portion, said rear portion projecting between said fasteners between the shade bracket and window frame and clamped against the frame by the shadebracket, said rear portion being provided with a vertical slot open at its top and receiving the upper fastener between adjacent walls of the slot, and said front portion of the plate projecting toward an opposite side of the window frame and having an upper edge adapted to support one end of the lip extending along the top of -a sheet metal valance, said rear portion of the plate being movable downward to Withdraw the walls of said slot from the upper fastener if said fasteners are loosened, whereupon the valance-supporting bracket can be moved laterally from between the shade bracket and window frame.

3. An assembly comprising a Window shade roller bracket, a side of a window frame, a pair of vertically spaced fasteners attaching said bracket to the inside of said frame side, .and -a valance-supporting bracket in the form of a sheet metal plate provided with a single vertical right-angle bend forming a rear portion and also provided with a front portion projecting toward an opposite side of the frame, said rear portion having an upper section disposed between said fasteners and clamped by the shade bracket against the window frame, said upper section being provided with a vertical slot open at its top and receiving the upper fastener between adjacent walls of the slot, the rear edge of said rear portion of the plate below said upper section engaging the front side of the lower fastener, the height of said upper section being slightly greater than the distance between the fasteners so that the valance bracket must be tilted upward in order to disengage it from the upper fastener and to pull it forward away from the shade roller bracket when the fasteners are loosened, and said front portion of the plate having an upper edge for supporting one end of the lip extending along the top of a sheet metal valance.

4. An assembly comprising a window shade roller bracket, a side of a window frame, a pair of vertically spaced fasteners attaching said bracket to the inside of said frame side, and a valance-supporting bracket in the form of a sheet metal plate provided with a single vertical right-angle bend forming a rear portion and also provided with a front portion projecting toward an opposite side of the frame, said rear portion having vertically spaced upper and lower sections disposed between the shade bracket and window frame, said sections having vertical slots open at the top and each receiving one of said fasteners between adjacent walls of that slot, the valance bracket being clamped against the window frame by the shade bracket, said front portion of said plate having an upper edge for supporting one end of the lip extending along the top of a sheet metal valance, and the height of said upper section being enough less than the distance between the fasteners to permit the valance-supporting bracket to be lowered to withdraw the walls of said slots from the fasteners when the fasteners are loosened, whereupon the valance-supporting bracket then can be pulled forward away from the shade bracket.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,248,320 11/17 Hamilton 248-254 1,751,691 3/30 Flath 248-223 1,835,042 12/31 Hammer 248-223 X 2,551,432 5/51 Goodman 248-264 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A WINDOW SHADE ROLLER BRACKETS, A SIDE OF A WINDOW FRAME, A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SPACED FASTENERS ATTACHING SAID BRACKET TO SAID SIDE OF THE FRAME AND A VALANCE-SUPPORTING BRACKET IN THE FROM OF A SHEET METAL PLATE PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE VERTICAL RIGHTANGLE BEND FORMING A REAR PORTION ND A FRONT PORTION, SAID REAR PORTION PROJECTING BETWEEN SAID FASTENERS BETWEEN THE SHADE BRACKET AND WINDOW FRAME AND CLAMPED AGAINST THE FRAME BY THE SHAD BRACKET, SAID FRONT PORTION PROJECTING TOWARD AN OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE WINDOW FRAME AND HAVING AN UPPER EDGE ADAPTD TO SUPPORT ONE END OF THE LIP EXTENDING ALONG THE TOP OF A SHEET METAL VALANCE, AND SAID REAR PORTION OF THE PLATE BEING SHAPED SO THAT IT WAS INSERTABLE EDGEWISE BETWEEN THE SHADE BRACKET AND WINDOW FRAME WHEN SAID FASTENERS WERE LOOSE. 